The Siblings from the Dagestani Region Making Their Mark in MMA and with Man Utd.

Ibragim Ibragimov smiles as he thinks about how his clan's life has transformed since moving to England from Dagestan a decade ago.

"I am fond of it here," the Professional Fighters League competitor remarks.

"We frequently comment, 'this was the nation I ought to have been born in.'"

The young man departed his home in the North Caucasus of Russia as his father believed a relocation covering more than 3,000 miles offered better career prospects for him and his brothers.

The original idea was for Ibragim and his three brothers – Amir (17), Gazik (16), and Muhammad (15) – to finish school before joining one of the country's colleges.

However, reality now looks somewhat different for the Ibragimov household.

Ibragim is now a pro MMA fighter and is viewed as one of the leading talents in the PFL, a major MMA organization.

His brothers have chosen a different route in sport and have each been contracted by Manchester United – with Amir aiming for a spot in the senior squad.

"The primary thing for us is to extract the maximum out of our chosen fields," explains Ibragim.

"I hope them to play for every one of the top teams in the world. Today it is Man United, in the future it might be a different team."

From Grapplers to Football Talents

Situated in southern Russia, Dagestan has a mystical status among fight fans for producing a number of UFC titleholders in the past few years.

The area has a rich tradition in wrestling, thriving in the combat sambo style and creating numerous Olympic and world champions.

This success is no accident, though, as children from the region are often pushed to begin combat sports, specifically wrestling, almost as soon as they can walk.

"When I was a kid, my dad was constantly telling me and my younger brothers that we needed to be strong, firstly to protect yourself, your family, and your friends," states Ibragim.

"So we all got used to fighting, and which is why everyone knows how to fight in Dagestan. It's not a surprise."

"Amir was a very good wrestler. You can see the move from wrestling to football; clearly, it assisted my younger brothers a lot."

"Some of the players he faces don't have the identical base he possesses. That's why he's solid, powerful and really driven – because of wrestling."

Amir was just nine years old when he was put through his paces at Sheffield United. Not knowing of his real age, trainers placed him with boys five years older.

He was not intimidated by the oversight and was more than comfortable competing against older players thanks to his background in wrestling.

"They thought Amir and I were the same age, apparently," says Ibragim.

Amir was signed, along with Ibragim's younger brothers Gazik and Muhammad.

The clan's stay in South Yorkshire was brief, though, as only weeks after joining the Blades, Manchester United became aware of Amir's ability and he transferred across the Pennines consequently.

"They faced Manchester United in a competition and Amir netted a brilliant free-kick," recalls Ibragim.

"One of their talent spotters saw him play and selected him immediately."

Six years after signing for the Old Trafford club and at the age of 15, Amir became one of the youngest players in the club's records to practice with the first team when he did so in April 2023.

"Know what he said to me? 'This is where I should be'," Ibragim says.

"Is he able to be a first-team player for Manchester United? Without a doubt. They need to let all the youthful players get game time right now."

"I don't think they would play less effectively than the current first-team players. I believe the youngsters are hungrier than the current squad members."

Following that, Gazik and Muhammad, the younger once part of the academy of Manchester City, have also transferred to Manchester United.

"Gazik, this youngster is gifted," adds Ibragim.

"He picked up everything quicker than everyone else. He's a good defender. He's going to be similar to a new Rio Ferdinand for Man United."

'A Dream' to Fight at Old Trafford

Ibragim has now moved to Manchester and dedicates most of his days honing his MMA skills at a local gym.

In August, he spent three weeks in his homeland at Khabib Nurmagomedov's gym, assisting Islam Makhachev prepare for a late-year UFC championship bout.

"I never have thought I would be learning under Khabib," Ibragim says.

"He was the greatest fighter in the world – and we constantly used to look up to him when we were growing up."

"Today, I'm here in his gym and training with Islam Makhachev."

Fresh from training with two UFC champions from Dagestan, it is no surprise Ibragim says he is desperate to claim a world title of his own one day.

However that does not prevent him from occasionally dreaming of representing United and walking out on the hallowed turf at Old Trafford, similar to his brothers.

"I owned a PlayStation at home and I constantly used to play as Man United, scoring goals with Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez," he says.

"Today, for my brothers to be Man United players, it's similar to a dream come true."

"An event at Old Trafford? It's a goal for me. I was speaking to the PFL guys about it to see if they could do it. It would be massive."